LOTRO Buried Treasure Event Guide (aka Treasure Hunting!)

The LOTRO Buried Treasure Event is a great way to spend down time from questing, or life! A repetitive chance at unearthing tokens, cosmetics and sometimes even mounts. I suggest you pick a couple of characters to do it at the same time so you always have something to do. But let’s follow the Dwarves to the Low-lands of Ered Luin and see what we can find!

Please Note: thie Guide is a work-in-progress. If you notice any errors, please let me know so I can make it as accurate as possible. Thanks!

To skip to a particular part of this guide, please use the menu below:Guide MenuClose Menu

Treasure-Hunters Picks, Cave-Claws and Dowsing Gems

There are three main items that are your ‘treasure hunting equipment’. these are Treasure-Hunters Picks, Trained Cave-Claws and Dowsing Gems. Here’s what they are, how you obtain them and how to use them effectively.↑ Guide Menu

Treasure-Hunter’s Picks

These are your precious resource and are Single Use! Don’t use them up without knowing you are putting them to good use first!

Obtaining Treasure-Hunter’s Picks

If your character has never done the LOTRO Buried Treasure Event before, you have an intro quest that grants 10 Picks.

After that, although you can buy Picks from the LOTRO Store, the best way to amass them is to speak to Quest-Giver Adúlf. You can complete Treasure Hunt every 15 minutes. You receive 2 Picks for this quest.

Also every 15 minutes you can interact with the Cave-Claw Quest-Giver and obtain the Berries Quest, which also grants 2 Picks

You can also find Picks when out digging for Buried Treasure, though they are not guaranteed.

If you wish you may purchase extra Picks

Using Your Picks

Right clicking on a Digging Site will utilise one of your Picks. You may also add them to your quickbars and use them that way. How to maximise your rewards from picks is covered in the rest of the post!↑ Guide Menu

Trained Cave-Claw Cages

Trained Cave-Claws are clever little beasts that, when released, will sniff out the best Dig Site from ones nearby so you know which Dig Sites to use your Picks on. Or, importantly, which ones to avoid! They are also Single-Use.

Obtaining Trained Cave-Claw Cages

Cave-Claws may be purchased for 5 × Treasure Hunting Tokens from Sigtír. If used properly you often dig up more tokens than you spend on them!

Extra Trained Cave-Claws may also be dug up from Dig Sites

Using Your Cave-Claws

Only use Cave-Claws early in a Round.

Releaseing a Cave-Claw within a ‘circle’ of Dig-sites minimises your chance of wasting one.

Ensure you release one when there are a good number of dig-sites nearby

If another player is near you and appears to be releasing a Cave-Claw, I advise you head somewhere else on the map.

How Far Can Cave-Claws Sniff?

A huge thanks to @JThornshield for this tip on maximising the use of your Cave-Claws!

Great guide! Cave claws sniff out dig-sites up to 20 meters away. If you click a dig-site, it will glow on your radar. Hold the mouse over this radar spot to see how many meters away it is from you. Getting a feel for the distance will help you get the most from your cave claws!

How They Detect Dig Sites

Trained Cave-Claws will tell you what size dig site it is: Small, Medium, Large or Huge. It is rarely worth using your Picks on small Dig Sites as at best they give you a couple of tokens, maybe three at a push. Other sized dig sites are worth using your picks on, for their token yield – and sometimes grant you cosmetics, or additional Picks/Claws/Dousing Gems.

Note: Some of the cosmetics available at the Token Vendor, may drop in Treasure Caches. Therefore it’s best to put off buying the cosmetics with tokens until you’re sure you’re done with the event.↑ Guide Menu

Treasure Cache Steeds

Misc Treasure Cache Rewards

You can acquire all sorts of other items for no tokens from Treasure Caches: Cosmetics, Decorations and Emotes for example. This section needs more screenshots. I will update it when I can!

Note: if your current character already has an Emote they have dug up, you can send it to another one of your characters. They are Bound to Account, so share the love!

Pro Tip: If you have a Rune-Keeper, the Treasure Hunter’s Satchel doubles up as Rune-Keeper’s Satchel. It is technically a “back” item but it appears attached to your belt.

(Some of the) Emotes Available

Some emotes fall from treasure caches, some from the Barter Vendor and some can be obtain via either of those methods. I’ve recorded ones I have so far. If you want to see these Emotes in action, just tap the button below.View EmotesClose Emotes

TL;DR All sorts found in the ground during the LOTRO Buried Treasure Event!

From tokens, to cosmetics – from homestead decoration to free mounts, the Buried Treasure Event is full of rewards. If you’re patient! And one final tip: Play some music in the background so that the looping Dwarf-tune doesn’t send you loopy, enjoy!